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Internet usage can be monitored and is impossible to erase completely.

If you are worried someone you don’t trust and/or could be a danger to you is monitoring your online activities, call us at 1.800.559.2927.

Learn more about internet safety and remember to clear your browser history after visiting this website.

Click the red “EXIT” button at the top of the page at any time to leave safevoices.org immediately.

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Executive Director Elise Johansen to Step Down in June

April 8, 2024

It is with mixed feelings that the Safe Voices board of directors announces that Executive Director Elise Johansen has accepted a position at Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey. Elise with join PPNCSNJ this summer as their Chief Administrative Officer. Her last day at Safe Voices will be in early- to mid-June. 

“It would take a very special job working for a very special cause to pull me away from Safe Voices,” says Johansen. “I could not have made the decision to go if it wasn’t to join an organization with a mission like Planned Parenthood’s.”

Johansen joined Safe Voices in 2015 after more than 10 years of experience working on behalf of social justice issues, including as the executive director of EqualityMaine. With Safe Voices, Johansen oversaw the agency’s first ever capital campaign, successfully raising over $1.5M for the creation of a survivor-centric Program Hub and Resource Center at the agency’s administrative building in Lewiston. Johansen also spearheaded efforts to increase compensation at the agency, to create the state’s first-ever pet-friendly domestic violence shelter, and to open the state’s first and only emergency safe house program for survivors of sex trafficking.

“We have been so fortunate to benefit from Elise’s leadership, passion, and expertise over the last ten years. We know nothing lasts forever, but it is always hard to say goodbye to a leader like her. Even so, we are excited to see another organization benefit from her talents, and we know we’ll be feeling the positive impact she has left for years to come.”

– Safe Voices Board President Amy Gagne
Safe Voices Executive Director Elise Johansen celebrates at the finish line of the agency’s 2022 5K/10K Race for Survivors, which took place at Lewiston’s Bates College.

The foundational work at Safe Voices, including the advocacy it provides to survivors every day, is well-positioned to continue with no change throughout a leadership transition.  

“We have such an amazing team,” says Johansen. “Part of why I can take this opportunity to step deeper into the work of reproductive justice is that I know Safe Voices is in such good hands. The board of directors, the leadership and management teams at the agency, and the advocates who are working on the helpline, in court, and alongside survivors every day are all so skilled and dedicated. I know this agency will continue to thrive.”

Gagne and the full board of directors looks forward to sharing information in the coming weeks about transitional leadership for the agency and the plan to name a new Executive Director later this summer.